Saturday, December 13, 2008

When I was in Sydney, Esther & Jo brought me to Bondi Beach. I'll never forget the sweeping view of the turquoise waters as we descended from the main road which was just a stone's throw from the beach.

When the email came from Esther about them coming to Tokyo, I was elated. Not only would I be able to return the favour to bring them to my territory and show them what a different world Tokyo is to Sydney, but having Malaysian guests is like having a piece of home just for awhile.

They started the 1st leg of their 2nd honeymoon in Kyoto and proceeded up to Hakone for an evening of hot springs and fresh mountain air before ending up in Tokyo. One of the best places to visit on a Sunday morning is the Yoyogi Park. With such beautiful weather, it was almost a sin not to enjoy the beauty of the fall foliage.

I have Shok to thank for introducing me to this little respite nestled in the middle of urban Tokyo. Indeed, it's an excellent place to rewind no matter the season of the year. Esther & Jo loved it too, as is evident in the park visitors who've all come to bask in the autumn sun's rays.

Many avid photographers came fully equipped to take opportunity of the crisp weather. There was even a fashion photoshoot taking place as we walked towards the gingko trees. We were not allowed to take any pictures of that, so we decided to have our own photoshoot instead.

Just as we were goofing around with poses and whatnots, an elder Japanese man came towards us and asked if we could pose for him! There was a certain arrangement that he particularly wanted and I was not sure if I heard him correct the first time.

But as I talked to him, I found out it was exactly as what I heard earlier. Esther & Jo had to stare into each other's eyes as lovingly as they could for at least 10 minutes while I pretended to be the photographer. Behind me was the Japanese man, snapping away from a lower angle. We couldn't help laughing while we posed for him, because at one point Esther commented that her eyes were getting tired!

After thanking us, he went on his way, taking more pictures of the park and its visitors. We took our time walking beneath the gingko trees, as smelly as it was, and that reminded me of my first picnic in Tokyo not too long ago. The sun was just as bright, children and their parents were out playing, and the leaves in their golden hues had come out in full force again.

As I brought them towards the lake, we spotted a rainbow at the fountain. We had to quickly take advantage of it as the rotating sprout made it difficult to get the widest rainbow from where we stood. But still, it made for a pretty sight on an already splendid day out.

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

The Japanese are known to be courteous and extremely polite. They say sumimasen when they cut in front of you. They say sumimasen when they accidentally brush against you. They say sumimasen even when they thank you because you took the trouble.

But when they're sick, the Japanese express their sumimasen by covering their mouth.

I'm one step to becoming more Japanised now that I also do what the Japanese do when they fall ill. They're so considerate of others that they wear a face mask so that their germs will not spread and infect those around them.

I was asked to put on this mask when I visited the doctor yesterday. Felt so strange breathing my own hot air and not being able to take a gulp of fresher air. But all the nurses had this on, and sick people wear this when they're outside too.

I could've just stayed at home and rested more but I wanted to make sure it wasn't influenza or anything serious. Test results came back negative, thank God. So the doctor prescribed some medicine for the "viral upper respiratory infection".

I hate taking medicine especially pills. But I don't mind, in fact I welcome traditional Chinese herbal concoction. I think they work better and do less harm to the body. I try as much as possible to rely on my body's immune system, but after looking at the bill, I think I have to take at least one of this white capsule to justify the cost.

I know, not cheap. But I'm not tied to the National Health Insurance system and this is after all an English-speaking private hospital catered to the expats. Ya, I thought I was considered expat even though my salary doesn't reflect that.

The cost of 1 capsule could have allowed me to have a very decent meal in Malaysia. But then again, if I take just 1 capsule, I will be able to get well faster and enjoy all the food I've missed throughout this 1 year when I'm better.

Sunday, December 07, 2008

So I survived the test. I know I'll have to retake it next year, but at least I was feeling a lot better than before. Even though I feel so horrible again now! It's as if all the bacteria and virus just came out in full force after being suppressed for the sake of this exam the past few days.

But 2 things to thank God for.

I bumped into Pamela on the way to the test centre. Almost everyone else went with their school mates or someone they knew. Friends I know who were taking the Japanese Language Proficiency Test were scattered in various locations in Tokyo and Yokohama.

Don't be fooled by how cheerful I looked. My fever had just subsided but my nose was literally dripping towards the end of the last section. I had to reuse and re-reuse the only tissues I had with me (ok la, this sounds quite gross!).

BUT it was such a beautiful day. A sunny winter afternoon hovering around 9 degrees max.

AND the Taisho University at Nishi Sugamo had this walkway just at the entrance lined with gingko trees. I know, they smell. The fruits. But, the leaves and colours are one of the reasons why autumn is so beautiful here. Esther & Jo told me the colours of fall are usually brown in Australia. (Will put up a related post soon!)

Some of the Chinese students decided to throw up the gingko leaves and pose ala "Autumn In My Heart". Many others were as enthusiastic taking pictures, relief on their faces, clearly lingering in the remnants of autumn.

It was like a well-deserved treat enjoying such beauty in God's creations after a taxing day at the exam hall. And I thought I would never get to see the hues of autumn now that it's officially winter...

Friday, December 05, 2008

It ain't fun being sick1) during winter 1a) especially when it's raining outside2) living alone (I only see Watanabe-san only 10% of the time) 2a) and having to find something healthy to eat in the house3) when there's a test coming up in less than 2 days' time 3a) and I'm not even halfway prepared for it

Wednesday, December 03, 2008

Christmas is here in Japan. It feels so beautiful at night when buildings and walkways are illuminated with all kinds of lights and glitters. As ironic as it is with more than 99% of the population not even Christians themselves, Christmas is a HUGE thing here.

One thing I gotta 'tabik' the Japanese is their creativity in decorating and making things look pretty. Like the previous weekend when I was hosting Esther & Jo, we went up the Observation Deck on the 52nd floor of Roppongi Hills. We had a clear view of Tokyo city at night. The way they lit up Tokyo Tower made it look like the Eiffel Tower from a distant.

But what drew my attention was the "Christmas tree" they created in the middle of the Deck. It was not so much how it looked, but how it smelled!

This "tree" was made completely out of lilies. Fresh white lilies all the way from the bottom to the top, almost reaching the ceiling.

Almost everyone was waiting for their chance to have a picture taken with the tree.

The fragrance of the cut lilies wafted through the Deck and made the whole ambience just so pleasant. I wonder how often they have to change the lilies to keep it looking so fresh. But oh my, what effort! I can almost remember the scent of the evening even as I write this.

Friday, November 28, 2008

So off she went for a little holiday just before her work contract ended. She decided way in advance that no matter what happened she would treat herself to a trip overseas for the tough year in Bokyo.

Right after Butterfly returned to Bokyo, she decided to talk to the Head about her work contract. Her first meeting before she went off for her holiday did not bear any fruits. Her meeting this time also didn't seem to have much effect whatsoever.

Seeing that nothing was still being done after working 1 month into her 2nd year without a contract, Butterfly decided to take things into her own hands.

Butterfly sent an email to the Head, gently reminding him about the contract that he owed her. It was truly strange to continue working in the company under such circumstances. Legally she could have just stopped working as there and then. However, since there was no contract, the Head was also not legally bound to pay for the work done after that 1 year on.

After a few days, the Head replied with a supposedly new contract. Nothing much changed. In fact, there was no salary increase, no bonus, no obvious benefits compared to the previous one. As she turned to the 2nd page, she saw that the number of leaves had increased from 10 to 12. As she read on, however, she also noticed that the number of sick days had decreased from 5 to 3.

Wow, Buttefly thought, the Head must have thought she lacked basic mathematical skills. Or perhaps that she just wouldn't notice such a change made in her favour. Surely if everything else remained the same from the previous contract, such a change in figure would have been immediately obvious to even a kid.

So Butterfly emailed the boss, and courteously thanked the Head for being so magnanimous with the terms of her new contract. But she added that she wanted to further discuss the changes he mentioned.

That night, Butterfly made some notes on the new contract, just enough to remind her what to talk to the Head about. She was much better writing than speaking and decided that using some written guides would help prepare her discussion with the Head the next morning. She realised she had to stand up for herself, if it meant speaking her mind, which was something she rarely did.

As soon as the Head sat down to listen to what she had to say, Butterfly started the tone by expressing how disappointed she was with the contract. In fact, it was so insulting that nothing much has changed from the previous one. Instead of improving on things, it had gotten worse. Previously she thought she had bagged herself a dream job that would allow her flexibility, but everything seemed to have gone downhill from then on.

The fact that the Head had asked her to help in some personal errands, not grant her compassionate leave when her grandmother passed away, and requested that she visited a client on her sick leave made her feel more like a slave instead. By having a new contract which did not work in her favour and was more restrictive, it was like a tight slap on Butterfly's face.

The Head was obviously taken aback by Butterfly's outspokenness. He had not seen her spoke like this before, and was a little speechless for awhile. But he quickly regained his composure and defended his reasons for the changes.

He said that since the economy was not doing well, employees should not be demanding for a raise and should be happy that they had a job. Butterfly said that they were not asking for a raise merely because they wanted more money. But rather, the Head should see it as a way to reward them for their contribution the previous year. Still, the Head said there was nothing much he could do as that was just the way it had to be.

As soon as he had finished his sentence, Butterfly would cut in with her next point and go on about how unfair she was being treated. Like how all her other colleagues were allowed to work from home while she was the only one who had to be at the office everyday at regular hours. Or the fact that they had flexihours and the freedom to run errands on working days.

As Butterfly got more into the mood of being forthright, she continued on with how unhappy she was with the situation at work. It felt rather awkward in the beginning as she was brought up not to speak back to her superiors. But as the discussion continued on, it was clear that the Head finally heard Butterfly's side of the story.

At the end of it, she felt a mixture of relief and guilt. Relieved because she has expressed what she had wanted to say all these while. Guilty because she thought perhaps she might have been a little too brash. But after talking to some friends, they encouraged her to keep being outspoken as that was the only way to deal with the Head.

Butterfly decided that she would take it as a good step forward in learning to speak up for herself and in dealing with Western Heads. She gave herself a pat on the back for doing something good for herself.

Still, it was not easy doing what she did. She took quite some time to get into that mode, and even though she would lapse into her old self now and then, she had to remind herself that being honest was not wrong. In fact, at the right situation, to tell the truth without fear or favour would only help solve the problem at hand. Even if it hurts.

A week after that discussion, Butterfly got a renewed contract. Her number of leaves remained at 12, while the sick days was kept at 5. That was probably the only change the Head made, but the Head seemed more considerate and was more appreciative of her work.

*Any resemblance to real-life characters is purely coincidental. Excerpts from this story may be reproduced by acknowledging the writer.

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Located at 36° 13' 0 N, 140° 5' 60 E Tsukuba-yama at Ibaraki prefecture was chosen as the mountain for our autumn hike this year. I've been wanting to catch the fall leaves before it got colder. Striking out Takao-san, Nikko and Hakone because they would be packed with people at this time of the year, we decided that going further from Tokyo would be a better choice.

So happened there were some special events happening at the mountain shrine. Apparently that weekend was the "Shichi-go-san" (七五三 : seven-five-three) festival which was a traditional rite of passage for grrls aged three and seven, and boys aged five.

Accompanied by their family members, the kids were all dressed up in their best traditional costumes. Being so accustomed to having their pictures taken, some of them even gladly posed for me as I asked their parents' permission to take some pictures.

At the same time, there was a wedding ceremony as well. Tsukuba-yama Shrine is one of the oldest in the country, and is known as the god of business thriving, talismans and matchmaking.

We took the cable car up almost to the top. It was a relaxing ride since we would be hiking up the rest of the trail up to the 2 peaks that make up Tsukuba-yama, Nyotai-san and Jotai-san.

As the cable car slowly dragged its way up the tracks, I was glad I made it for the trip. I had almost wanted to just sleep in that Saturday and not make the 1hr+ journey. The air was clearly fresher and just seeing the greens (and reds) was soothing for the eyes.

There was already quite a crowd up there, but not as bad as I had expected. The Japanese elderly are a robust lot. Most of them put us to shame as they go for regular hikes up mountains. No wonder they are known for having the longest life-span in the world.

We took up the challenge of climbing up the peaks as well.

On the way up, we saw this frog-shaped boulder at which the Japanese were tossing coins at. Must be to wish for luck & fortune, like the Western wishing well? Later I found out that the frog had some significance at this mountain.

After about half an hour or so, we finally reached the top.

We had an almost clear view of the Kanto Plains from where we stood. This was quite worth it, and just being there made me felt all refreshed already. Seeing that the mountains make up most of the country, and are a big part of the people here, I have learnt to appreciate them and the views that come together. But still, I would give anything for a splash on the beach!

The year before, I started to appreciate autumn when Shokwan initiated the idea of a picnic and momiji at Yoyogi Park. As much of a mountain person as I am not, this year's momiji was way up in the peaks of Tsukuba. I got to see flora which I otherwise would not have elsewhere.

Monday, November 24, 2008

I don't remember the last time I bought myself a purse. Probably for my 21st birthday? Anyways, the current one was a gift, but it was bursting at its seams and was in absolute tatters. It had looked quite pitiful that I cringed whenever I had to take it out at the cashiers.

It has been like that for several months already. I didn't want to rush into getting a replacement just because I needed one. Plus, I haven't been able to find one that caught my fancy. So after a few fruitless attempts, I finally saw one this afternoon while hosting Esther & Jo at Aoyama.

A lot of my stuff had been in very safe colours of black, brown and grey. But after living in Japan, I've started to buy stuff in colours and textures that I would have been hesitant to try before. Like my creamy white winter coat, deep magenta down jacket with faux fur lining, suede tasseled boots and, definitely, this glossy teal and matte black purse.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

I had my first wedding invitation last month at a Presbyterian church. The bride was German, the bridegroom being Japanese. I addressed them by their nationality because I did not know them before the wedding.

You see, I was invited to play at their wedding. It was through a mutual friend who was the groom's English teacher. Better still, Pamela had only met the bride a few times before, but because the couple did not know many Christian friends but wanted a church wedding nevertheless, they approached the only Christian they knew - my friend who teaches English at this church.

Apparently Japanese pastors (some of them, not the AOG ones, as far as I know!) allow wedding ceremonies to be held at their churches as a way to evangelise to the Japanese. Knowing how trendy it is to have a Western-style, whatmore with a REAL church setting, wedding, the Japanese have erected buildings which look very much like churches from the outside, but is only a facade for the occasion.

I remember when I first arrived in Niigata, I was surprised to see some church buildings near where I stayed. They looked really beautiful, with a cross at the roof and Romanesque architecture all around. They were so ornately decorated, with gardens at the side and even chapels in the interior that they looked better than normal churches!

I even found out that even at hotels and probably at more upscale weddings, they actually hire Caucasians to dress up the part of the "pastor" to "bless" them at the "ceremony". Such is their fascination for the white fairytale wedding that everything is replicated right down to the gestures and rituals involved, but alas, I wonder if they understood the sanctity and meaning of a Christian wedding.

Nevertheless, I was not there to judge, but to be part of the union of this couple whom I've only had the opportunity to meet just minutes before the ceremony. I must say, it was rather solemn and I wondered if I had attended a funeral instead this was truly a wedding. Then I remembered, both the Japanese and the German are not known for being the most boisterous of nationalities. Maybe that's why these 2 countries made good partners for the Axis Alliance in World War 2.

The only people smiling were the other foreigners, namely Pamela and her American friend. I wanted to flash a smile too, but everyone just looked so serious! Right from when the bride walked in with her father to when the couple were at the altar being blessed by the (real) pastor, from the songs to the message, from the time they walked out of the church and even during the photography session. I wished I had brought my camera to capture the moment.

I was delighted they enjoyed my playing. Not surprising, because the other pianist who played the hymns did it so sombre. I'm no expert in saying how hymns should be played, but I've heard hymns played so beautifully that people just want to sing it over and over again.

Still, it was a good first experience, albeit a rather unusual church wedding. It didn't last very long, sticking to the order of things as stated in the programme book. Immediately after the photography session, they couple was whisked off together with their family members and friends to the reception somewhere near the church.

Few weeks later, I got this from Pamela, a little token of appreciation from the couple. How sweet, literally! I was really delighted as I've never really tasted German candy before, and besides, it even had a Ferrero Raffaelo in it that I've not eaten in years. I'm gonna try to indulge in them slowly so that I can make it last till the new year!

lust auf genuss = desire on enjoyment

*Pictures of the building were taken in Nagaoka 2 years ago at a fireworks festival, as an illustration of how a typical "church wedding building" looks like.

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Early this year in January (I know, I have lots of belated news to share!), I had a nagging pain in my lower gums. As usual, I tried to brush very diligently, but carefully so as not to aggravate the pain. Flossed more, gargled with Listerine every night and made sure I didn't chew so much on the left side.

Still the pain didn't go away. My other solution to increase my vitamin C intake didn't help either. In the past, I took it as a sign of deficiency in vitamin C, since that might mean a potential of scurvy.

Still the pain persisted. It was getting annoying. And scary. Nothing seemed to work. I was taking lots of fruits too.

31 Jan 2008In desperation I went to the nearest dentist I could find in my neighbourhood. Speaking little Japanese that would help in explaining my pain, I brought along my trusty electronic dictionary.

I found out that my gums were exposed (or something like that la). They took my x-ray and pointed to that little space between the gums and the tooth and it looked like the gums were raw. So the dentist gave me some treatment and asked me to return the week after. Even with that half-baked treatment I still managed to go back for IUJ's Ski Day!

7 Feb 2008When I went back to the dentist, he told me he had to do something. After checking with my dictionary, I found out that he was going to 神経を取る (take out the nerves). Not knowing what the heck it meant, I thought maybe he was just going to do some scaling and clean up my teeth, who knows maybe I didn't manage to brush the hidden corners and nooks and crannies in my little mouth.

Then I suspected something amiss when he injected some anesthesia into my gums. Surely cleaning the teeth didn't require my gums to be numbed!

The next half hour was him doing something. I thought maybe the Japanese were so careful they didn't want to hurt you while cleaning your teeth. Then I heard some drilling, some other scary sound that I can't describe here.

In my mind, I was thinking, what did I just get myself into this time?!

By the time it was over, my left cheek felt puffed up and I felt no senses at all. In fact, it felt as if someone had punched me on the left side of my face. But in reality, when I looked at myself in the mirror, I looked very normal on the outside.

After the anesthesia had wore off, I was left with a pounding pain, so painful I couldn't even sleep that night. The dentist didn't even give me anything to take away the pain, I had to ask my housemate for his Ibuprofen.

The next few days, as I was wondering what the dentist did to me, I don't know why, but the phrase "root canal" came to mind. So I looked up the internet and just couldn't believe my eyes when I realised what he had actually done was a root canal. It wasn't any procedure that I've gone through before, and it certainly wasn't what I was expecting. And I most certainly did not ask for it!

What the !@#$%^&*()?)(*&^%$#@!

14 Feb 2008My follow up visit was met with more shocks. I thought that was it. The 3rd visit should be the end of it.

But no, after more treatment, I decided to enquire if it would be the last visit. The nurse told me that I had to return 6 more times to finish up the procedure.

What the !@#$%^&*()?)(*&^%$#@!

SIX MORE TIMES?!So the dentist could make more money out of me??

I had already spent Y10,000 yen for my first visit, and another Y5,000 and Y2,000 subsequently.6 more visits = Y???

After chatting with friends, I found out that it was normal of Japanese dentists to require patients to make frequent visits for something such as this. A Malaysian here told me he had to go back to the dentist 13 times for his root canal.

OMG!

What the !@#$%^&*()?)(*&^%$#@!

I was already taking time out of work for this, and my boss was not very happy. I told him it wasn't my fault. The dentist was making me go back so many times, and my private insurance didn't cover the treatment.

So he recommended me to pay a visit to his dentist instead. The most important thing was because he had been trained overseas, Dr Goke spoke English.

21 Feb 2008Since it was a new dentist, I had to do my x-rays all over again. It was assuring to have a dentist that explained what was wrong, what needed to be done, and what I had to watch out for. He himself was astonished when I told him about my experience with the previous dentist. The most a root canal should take is 3 visits, depending on the complexity, especially with molars.

Damage for the day : Y7,570

26 Feb 2008I got the shock of my life when Dr Goke removed the temporary filling to reveal an ugly hole in my left molar.

So this was what the previous dentist did - Make a big hole in my molar, dig out everything that was probably healthy in the first place, and then make me pay for it not knowing what it actually was.

To think that I may not even have needed a root canal in the first place, now I had a useless (almost...) tooth with a gaping hole that reached to the bottom which cost me a bomb. Of course, I would have had to pay Dr Goke a similar amount to finish up the job, but at least he spoke in a language I could understand!

So he carefully cleaned up the rest of holes where the nerves were. It was a good thing I had read up about it and talked to friends who've had similar experiences. Imagine having someone do something to your body (nevermind that it's a small organ such as the tooth!), and you not knowing anything about what's going on. That's really scary!

Damage for the day : Y21,000

29 Feb 2008While getting my temporary filling done, I consulted with Dr Goke about the option of doing the crown back home. I found out that it would cost me Y100-150,000 just to have it done in his clinic. Apparently that was the normal rate in Tokyo.

What the !@#$%^&*()?)(*&^%$#@!

If my guess was right, I think I could get it cheaper in Malaysia, but I had just gone back for Christmas the year before. In fact, the reason why I'm thinking the root canal was not justified was because I had just done my routine check up with my dentist back then and everything seemed to be fine. In fact, I've for the most part had healthy teeth, bar the irregular cavity but then again, regular visits to the dentist always took care of that. Ever since I lost 4 molars to make way for my orthodontic treatment, I've vowed to be really careful not to lose anymore teeth.

To top it off, Japanese toothpaste lack flouride and probably the water is not conducive for promoting healthy teeth. It's no wonder the Japanese have such bad teeth. A lot of them need to go for orthondontic treatment. While I understand it's expensive to do it here in Japan, I just cannot fathom how they can spend so much money on their hair, face, clothes, dresses, accessories, shoes, handbags and whatnot, but not on their teeth!

Mindboggling indeed. @.@

This whole painful experience cost me Y50,820! No insurance to cover it made it even more painful.

Lesson 1 : Stock up on Good Malaysian Flouride-filled Toothpaste.Lesson 2 : When visiting a doctor or dentist or anyone who would attempt to do anything to any part of the body, go to one that speaks English, or go with a friend who speaks the language.Lesson 3 : Watch out for money-making Japanese dentists.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

This came into my mailbox some time back, to be more specific on Halloween's Day. Then I remembered I was supposed to post some pictures about that get-together at Iqbal's place. But then again, I thought I would share this, another one from my fav Calvin & Hobbes.

It came with this :"Humility is like underwear, essential but indecent if it shows"- Helen Nielsen.

Or grace billboards in cities across the world. Where pedestrians waiting to cross the road will look up at me coz they wanna kill some time. Or people working in the offices nearby will be envious when they see me so cheerful and wish they were out enjoying the golden autumn leaves.

Nah, I'm not cut out to be that famous. Just to be remembered is nice enough.

And I'd like to be remembered in a good way. So I'd like to share with you this neat little trick I found on the Internet. Somewhere in the images above is the name of the website that can help you be as famous as me!

Tuesday, November 04, 2008

It's ironic that I made her feel like being herself after such a long while. Especially when I have never really been able to be myself here in Japan. Or the fact that as an American, she should be more brazen than I of Asian origin. So much societal and cultural etiquette to adhere to.

Coming from someone I barely knew, and this was probably our 2nd time going out as friends. I was rather taken aback when she mentioned it so casually while we were stopping for rest while shopping this evening.

It's true what she said about certain people bringing out the best in us. Or have the gift of drawing a person out of his/her shell.

It's not uncommon to hear that foreigners, in their desire to adapt to Japan, have somehow had to suppress their natural characteristics in order to not ruffle feathers and cause unnecessary attention. But I also have friends who, in the same objective, just let themselves be so that while making sense of the unexplainable could survive in a country such as this.

For example, it's almost impossible to be sarcastic. The typical Japanese would actually take it seriously and accept what you say as the truth and nothing but the gospel truth. So American friends and those from similar Western-style countries are surprised when I display my witty side and am able to play along with them. For the first time, I'm thankful we were brought up with American TV!

Side note to Malaysians : I miss being sampat! Please pardon when you see me next and I lose that characteristic of mine!

Saturday, November 01, 2008

I know, it's hard to believe eh? I kept staring and staring and just couldn't believe my eyes. Even after pinching myself on the arm and slapping myself a few times, the sight in front of me still did not change. Unbelievable.

Friday, October 31, 2008

So we had a photoshoot for one of our clients yesterday. The target location was the funkadelic Harajuku, Aoyama and Shibuya area. I decided that we should do it first thing in the morning since weather was forecasted to be sunny. It was fun being out of the office after such a long time, especially with me being made to go in regular hours as compared to before.

Anyways, I met up with Johan at Harajuku station. We headed straight to Takeshita Dori, the alley where all things youth and colourful can be found. On Sundays, you will see teens all dressed up in their favourite anime characters and sporting mind-boggling accessories and piercings. The McDonald's on the left is a fav - grrls lining up for a sundaes immediately clogs the whole street up.

H&M, a major fashion brand from Sweden has descended in Tokyo. The first store opened in Ginza a few weeks ago to rave reviews and a long line on its opening day. Not surprising, even the launch of the iPhone was greeted with the same hype. Queueing up must be one of the Japanese past times - notice how they do it obediently in Disneyland! :)

Another huge fashion label from America, GAP. Due to its location at a crossroad, it's also a popular meeting and hang out place. Japs can be seen in traditional yukata in summer time, sitting at the sidewalk or just powdering their noses.

Walking towards the posh Omotesando, luxury brands such as Dior greeted us. Each has their own building and signature architecture style. Shokwan was the one who first showed me this street when I came to Tokyo last year, and being a architecture postgrad, she was naturally more polished in the design of the various buildings.

Similar to Malaysia's Pavillion, Omotesando Hills houses top brands that cater to the affluent in Tokyo. I've never stepped foot in either, but at least I know in Japan they don't discriminate you based on what you wear. Never ever have I gone inside Prada, Gucci and LV in Malaysia, but walking into these boutiques here, the level of Japanese service just makes you wish it could be emulated everywhere else in the world.

It's nice walking outside Omotesando Hills, especially on a good weather day like this. It's midautumn and the leaves are slowly turning yellow. I'm proud to say that our own Jimmy Choo has his own outlet on the ground floor facing the traffic.

Anniversaire, another one of many beautifully decorated stores along the Omotesando Dori. Now that Halloween is over, the next big thing is Christmas. You can almost feel the holiday season in the air. The cold seasons seem to be a good time to celebrate foreign events, especially when it involved parties and presents.

Since Johan was into the new GTA4, he was naturally delighted to see billboards like this sprouting all over Tokyo. We saw 2 more along the way to Shibuya and 3 more in Shibuya itself. Heard it's a violent game, but what do I know - I'm not a gamer myself!

As we walked back to the station and towards Shibuya, we saw more funky shops like the above. There's always something new to look forward to, since novelty is the keyword here. The weirder the better. As long as you know how to mix and match, no matter if it's some cheapo looking stuff, you will be able to survive in Tokyo. It's the antics of the fashion-conscious that makes people watching a never-boring activity.

Audi Forum Tokyo - this 7-storey building sure stood out from its neighbours and from what I found out here, it's known as the "Iceberg" building and sparkles magnificently at night. Taken off the ddi magazine : The exterior was inspired by a combination of "crystal, an iceberg and a crushed PET (plastic) bottle," says Hiroyuki Yoshikawa, director of Creative Designers International. Three kinds of color-laminated glass enhance the edge effect of the building shape, making it look like a giant crystal rising up in the middle of the city.

After having lunch at an Asian restaurant, we decided to take more shots in Shibuya and head back to the office. The show below was taken from the famous Starbucks just outside the Hachiko exit at the Shibuya station. It's known as the most congested crossing in the world, especially at peak hours. When the lights turn red at the same time, people from all directions walk across rather smoothly, never quite bumping to the next person no matter how packed it is.

We were happily snapping pictures when the waitress told us that we were not allowed to. But being gaijins, we didn't really care and just walked away!

Sno By Any Other Name

when i first started this blog, i had not seen nor touched a snowflake before. i just imagined it must be one of those magical things that can only be experienced in a special place. knowing how each snowflake is unique in shape and size only makes it even more beautiful to look at. i finally held a snowflake in my hand when i experienced my first snow in niigata, japan. from then on, winter became my favourite season as i looked forward to the white bits that would fall from the sky and blanket the mountains and rice fields in an ethereal calm that is still a marvel for me.